Archery Crow Season

I'm excited! Saturday kicks off crow season on private lands! The season is open on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays on private lands from August 15-March 20 and on public and department lands from September 1-March 10 "M, W, F, & S only". This will be my first year trying to take out some crows and I'm going to use my bow! I'm probably a little crazy but I've always wanted to shoot one with a bow but somehow I'm just now getting around to actually trying it! I have an area to hunt that they often frequent so hopefully I'll have a chance. Since squirrel season doesn't open until next month this is my best chance to fling some arrows. I'm also going to try to film this so it should either make some funny or some cool footage! I won't have long on Saturday as I also have some fishing planned for the evening and a scouting trip planned for the morning but I'll do all I can to make it count.

Keep on shootin'!

Bland County Spring Turkey Scouting

Today I finally got in the woods again after far to long. I’ve really enjoyed doing shows for Mossy Oak and getting to meet a boatload of great new people but I’ve certainly missed spending time out of doors. Today’s mission was to pull down my last remaing stand from last year and to do some spring turkey scouting. I did get the stand pulled down without any trouble but I didn’t have any luck with the turkey scouting. However, the deer scouting happened to go pretty well! My buddy and I did quite a bit of walking and 4-wheeler riding today and found a lot more information about where the deer are moving in the area. Now I’m already thinking about this coming fall. I know there are turkeys in the area and I will be back to do some more investigating, as well as check out some other areas, soon. For now I’ve got a release to fix so that I can get back to shooting my bow.

VA Spring Turkey Scouting

Tomorrow, if nothing happens, I’m going to be going to take my hang on stand down from last deer season. I’m quite a bit behind but I haven’t been worried about it being stolen as it would be pure luck if anyone found it. The thing I’m most excited about though is tomorrow also starts my Spring Turkey Scouting! I’m hoping to log some serious miles on the truck and my feet tomorrow! Those turkeys are out there leaving sign right now and I know I’m going to be so fired up when I start seeing it! Remember that Spring Turkey season kicks off in less than a month on April 11th! I’ll try to update you all tomorrow. Until then may God bless you all!

Scouting November 25, 2009

On the day of Sunday November 25, 2009 I woke up feeling miserable. I was nauseous and worn out. I had started feeling really ill the night before and I wasn’t feeling much better when I woke up. The first half of my day was spent lying in bed and wallowing in my misery. However as the day went on I decided that nothing was going to keep me out of the woods when I had time to be scouting. Jessica and Harry were out visiting some family so I had the time and I decided that I was not letting anything hold me back from getting out in the woods and getting my job done. After some thought I even decided that the fresh air may help me feel better.

The shower and clean up that I did before heading out gave me a temporary pep up but I soon felt myself dragging again. I had not been able to force myself to eat much but I knew I needed some sustenance so I grabbed a bite to eat and forced it down. After getting some food down I hopped in the truck and started the 20-minute drive to the area I was going to scout.

After I finally arrived at my destination I took a deep breath, put on my backpack, and stepped out of the truck. The beautiful mountains and clear trail helped energize me a little and I started off on my journey. Knowing I didn't have very long and not being sure how long my energy boost would last I took off at the quickest pace I could manage. My body felt like it had been through the ringer but I knew if I could get myself in to my destination then I would have to find the will to get myself out. The trick would just be to force myself up the hills to get to where I needed to get go. The trail was actually a logging road and it was quite the mix of frozen icy ground where the sun didn't reach and a muddy mess where the sun did shine. My feet felt heavy but I just kept putting one foot in front of the other. About half a mile in deer sign begin sporadically appearing. It was muddy enough that I could see how they were using the road to travel but there wasn't a lot of sign. However, the further I went in the more sign appeared and the bigger and deeper the prints were. I was feeling upbeat mentally but feeling beat physically.

Despite the fact that I was seeing positive sign, a sign of a different type turned me around and heading back to the truck. About a mile in to the journey I felt like I may be nearing the end of my scouting trip. This was the first time I had traveled this trail though and I only had a guess as too how far it went. My body was reaching its ending point and I came to a hill that overlooked part of the trail ahead of me. By my best estimation I could see at least a mile more of trail with no end in sight. Normally that would excite me but in my weakened condition this day that sight turned me around. The first chance I get I will be tackling this trail again but hopefully I will be feeling better and I will be riding a bicycle. It will be a perfect scouting trip and a fun ride!

Scouting 1-18-09

For the past several days Wytheville Virginia had been gripped by a cold front unlike anything residents had encountered in many years. For some areas the single digit temperatures may have seemed like a warm front but for those of us that live here it seemed like we had packed our bags and moved North. Most of the days had been fairly calm but when the wind blew, and the chill moved in to the negative, our bodies felt something that we were not accustomed to. Scouting had not been something on my mind until earlier in the cold spell when my girlfriend informed me that she and my son would be visiting some of her family Saturday morning. Knowing it would be very cold I wasn’t necessarily excited about traipsing around on a ridge top where the wind would be constantly blowing but when you work a full time job and have a family you don’t have always have the option to pick and choose when you’ll scout, you just have to be ready to hit the ground running when the time becomes available.

The extreme cold front that had swept through the area for days had finally moved out and the day of January 17, 2009 had warmed up to a blazing hot 11 degrees. The first chance I would have for post-season scouting was going to start out with acceptable weather and I was happy for it. A lot of people would be wary about heading to the woods on a day that would not be exceeding 20 degrees but I knew if I kept moving and layered correctly that I should be able to stay warm enough to get by ok. The Ford F150 started after a crank and a groan or two but didn’t seem to be too happy about it. I cranked the heat up inside it and went back in to the house to finish my final preparations. After sufficient time for the truck to warm up I headed down the road to get to the area I was going to scout. Upon arrival I readied my gear, took a deep breath, and then hit the trail moving as fast as I could to warm up my body temperature. Knowing I wouldn’t set foot back on the property for quite some time I wasn’t worried about spooking the wildlife, they would have plenty of time to settle back down before next hunting season began. Being as the weather was so cold, I guess, I was lucky that the trail was entirely up hill for the first half a mile or so. By the time I had reached the ridge top that I would be walking and scouting my body had warmed up and most all of me but my cheeks were fairly warm. I had forgotten to grab my balaclava from the truck so my cheeks were going to have to endure the wind throughout my entire time there. It was time to get tough or get out.



The old trail that runs across the ridge top is a mixture of the clean and neat, and the wild and unkempt. Walking along I searched for any and all sign of how the deer were using the area. I looked for rubs, scrapes, droppings, and anything else I could find that would help me understand what the animals were doing. As I looked for sign I also tried to imagine how I would react to things if I were a resident of the area. Would I cross under or around a fallen tree, would I go through the over grown brush to the left of a certain rise or to the right. Knowledge is the key to unlocking the secrets to the wildlife kingdom and while I was out I wanted to glean as much of it as I could. Another reason for the trip was to document as much of it as possible with photographs. Recently I had bought several new camera accessories that would allow me to do so and I was excited about giving it all a try. A lesson learned is a lesson learned though and I learned that all of the cool accessories in the world are useless when you forget to pack spare batteries. After I had taken just a few pictures I realized that documenting the trip the way I wanted to was out of the question.



The path itself is a road that seemed to have been cut through many years ago. My belief is that it was cut and well maintained for many years but over the years whoever maintained it started maintaining less and less of it until no one was currently keeping it up. The first half-mile to a mile of the path is pretty clear and easy to travel but as you go back further it gets thicker and thicker until the trail completely disappears. It’s a pretty hot location and I know that I’m not the first person to discover this as there are countless old and dilapidated stands scattered throughout the landscape. The newest one is an older ladder stand that was probably put up in the late 80’s or early 90’s but I could be way off base. I haven’t had a chance to talk to the actual owner of the property so almost all I know about the area is from scouting and guessing.

While the trail may be starting to grow up a bit it’s still beautiful in the way it cuts through the landscape and beautiful in the way it shows a lot of wildlife use! There are a enormous amount of large rock formation on the top of the mountain and the way the trail winds through them and the way the trees hug the trail creates many postcard type scenes. Again, I would love to have the pictures to prove it but it just didn’t happen on this particular day. As the trail grows thicker the buck sign grows thicker as well. However, I wasn’t too pumped up about it for two reasons. The first reason is that all the sign indicated smaller bucks. That is not such a bad thing though as smaller bucks can become bigger bucks if they are allowed to grow. The second reason is a little tougher, the wind is pretty constant in the way it blows and it’s going to make it very hard to hunt. I have a few ideas on how to handle it but to be honest it’s going to take a little luck. I may have to just leave the area alone and only hunt up there during the rut.

Traveling for about two hours I had covered quite a bit of territory, had frozen cheeks, and a lot of information to use in the future. Then it was time for one of the outdoors greatest pleasures, at least in my opinion. Lunch. That’s right, lunch. One of my favorite things is going deep in to a secluded area of the woods and sitting down to eat. Nothing tastes as good indoors as it does out of doors, and nothing tastes quite as good as it does until you’ve had a long walk before eating it either. A tree had fallen over in a clear spot and it provided me with a perfect place to sit and lay out my lunch. The spot I had found was also shielded from the wind and it allowed me to lie out all of my food and not worry about chasing it all over the mountains as well. As I sat there eating and thinking about my life everything seemed so perfect! My family is great, and healthy, and I’m living out my dream! I’ve always loved the out of doors and I’ve always wanted to be a writer. Everything seems to be coming together so well in my life and I count my blessings for sure! The meal went down so well and the Vienna sausages, crackers, and water may as well have been a gourmet dinner!

With lunch out of the way and time ticking away until I had to be home I headed back toward my truck. The scenery was no less beautiful on the way out and to make sure I learned more and kept from getting bored I took a slightly different route out. I really didn’t learn much more until I got nearly back to the field that I had entered through. I elected to take a shortcut out and discovered several deer trails that I never knew were there. I really don’t feel that they are being used much late in the season but I wouldn’t be surprised to see deer using them as the year goes on. I got back to my truck and enjoyed hopping inside its wind shielding, comfort. I drove slowly out of there very happy with the fact that I had braved the elements and had a great time learning more about an area that I will be hunting again next fall.

The walk had been a lung searing, leg pounding adventure at times, and a leisurely stroll at others but it was constantly fun. There is nothing like getting out of the four walls that constantly seemed to have us trapped and going for a stroll. It doesn’t have to be a mountaintop or even in the country. A walk around town can sometimes be every bit as liberating as traipsing trough the deep woods. Walking does something magical to the mind, it seems to somehow bring all of life’s problems in to focus and I often do my best thinking while my legs are moving one in front of the other. A walk is always a thing of beauty and I recommend that everyone take one as often as possible. That reminds me, I think it’s about time for another walk of my own.

Hunting Journal 12-26-08

When the 5:00 AM alarm went off on 12/26/08 I did not want to get up. I turned off the alarm and lay there for several minutes trying to justify staying in bed. I used every excuse in the book, including the fact that I would probably not be successful. The only thing that got me up that morning was thinking that I would hate myself the rest of the weekend if I didn’t go. It was to be the last day I had free to hunt that weekend and if I didn’t go I know I would regret it. I finally crawled out of bed, had a scent-free shower, a little breakfast and then headed out to hunt. I had decided to return to a buddy’s farm that had recently come available for me to hunt. I had only been there twice before and I didn’t know the territory very well. I had explored it a little bit and knew that at this point in the year catching a buck there with my limited knowledge would be slim. I decided that this would probably be more of an exploration than a hunting trip but with time running down on the season anything was better than nothing.

I arrived at my spot a little before light would be coming up. I got dressed quickly and started on my hike. I had decided to take an old logging trail that led up to a power line clear-cut. I had walked about half a mile and the sun started coming up. As I neared the top I jumped two does that I believe I had seen a day or two before. I settled the crosshairs of my Traditions Pursuit II on the bigger doe and the perfect broadside shot she presented was very tempting but unfortunately it wasn’t a “doe day” so I had to lower the gun and watch her walk cautiously away. I calmed myself down a little and forged on up the trail. When I reached the top I was greeted by some of the most beautiful views I’ve seen in a while. It looked like the “sheep country” you see on TV. It was spectacular, huge, tough, rocky, and I loved it! The wind was blowing a strong, cold wind against me but it couldn’t wipe the smile off of my face. I continued on along the path until it eased over in to the forest that run along the left side of the ridgeline I was traveling. It didn’t take long to realize that this was prime deer territory and my thoughts were soon justified when I jumped a decent group of does. I continued down the path for around a mile and the deer sign just kept getting better and better. I saw several more groups of does and located several spots to set up treestands. I finally realized that I had learned most of what I needed to see on this initial exploration and realized that I was accomplishing nothing more than spooking the deer at this point. At that point I turned around and eased my way quietly and happily out of the woods. I spent the rest of the day enjoying hanging out with my family and knowing that I had found a great hunting area for the future.

I was so happy that I had gotten out of bed that morning because I located a prime hunting spot! I could have lain in bed all day and accomplished nothing. Every time entering the woods will not produce a kill, but if you pay attention you can normally accomplish something. I knew starting the day that I was most likely going to leave the woods empty handed. However my initial negativity of the morning evaporated and I had a great day! I hope to hunt the area I found soon but I will have to wait for the right wind. I could have pressed further on and explored the area more but I found out enough to hunt it when I have the opportunity. After the season I’ll go back and explore it further but as of now I’m just happy that I overcame my laziness and negativity and got out there and had a great time exploring and scouting the woods! I’ve always heard that you can’t take an animal if you’re not in the woods but you also can’t learn much about your hunting area if you aren’t out there either. It’s really tempting to stay in bed some days but most of the time it’s worth getting up and getting going!

Bastian VA Rifle Season Opener 11/15/08

Today was an odd day in the woods, I didn’t see the first deer, but I came away feeling very successful anyway. I checked the weather all week and although I knew the best-case scenario for today involved bad weather I decided to be in the woods anyway. I was setting off of a trail, way back in the woods, when the sun came up and the day started off pretty promising. I heard two shots in the distance as soon as legal shooting hours began and I felt a great since of optimism! It wasn’t long after that though and the rain came in. It started off fairly light but ended up pouring for a long while. A lot of people were leaving but I decided to tough it out. My hunting pants and jacket were supposed to be waterproof and I wanted to see if they truly were. Luckily for me, my gear did the job and I barely felt the rain at all! The one piece of clothing that failed me though was my gloves. Other than having to switch to my back up pair, I was dry and toasty the whole time! After I survived the downpour, I thought that the deer would start moving and it would to turn in to a great day to be in the woods. However, I was disappointed when the wind started blowing like crazy and showed no signs of stopping. After I decided that this was not going to be much of a day for deer movement I decided to take advantage of that situation and do some scouting. I looked around for quite a while and finally found some positive sign! I don’t think that I’ve figured this property out very well but I feel much better about my chances. Hopefully I’ll have more time over in Bastian to get a better feel for the property but at least things are headed in the right direction! I hope you all had a great and dry opening day!

Seven Sisters Trail and Getting Ready for the Season

Sorry I haven’t written much lately but I’ve been extremely busy getting ready for the upcoming Whitetail season! Last weekend I did some scouting and hiking. The scouting was pretty unproductive but I hiked about a mile and a half back in to Seven Sisters Trail and it was a great trail that I look forward to returning to and hiking the whole way, 5 miles I think. I noticed the acorns are starting to fall as well while I was hiking.

As well as that I’ve been exercising nearly every day and shooting every day! Well, I actually didn’t get to shoot last night but it was the first night in a long while it seems! My shooting is definitely more consistent but I’m going to have to keep at it to be completely ready for the season. I’m working hard and I’m loving doing it as the big day gets closer every second! The biggest news for me is that my article in the paper actually netted me a great new place to hunt! A buddy of mine didn’t realize I had started hunting again and when he found out he offered me the chance to hunt on his family’s land! It’s a big piece of land that he and I will be the only ones hunting. I went yesterday and hung a stand and I feel really good about it! I haven’t fully had a chance to scout it out but he took me through the biggest part of it on 4-wheelers yesterday. The plan is to help take down the doe population unless a really nice buck comes through, or a bear! Yup, there are bears on the property! I’m really excited about the possibilities! I’ll just have to get in there and see how it goes though as there are no guarantees in life.

I also ordered a Leupold RX-II that should be in tomorrow. I’ll post up a review after I’ve had a chance to get used to it! I hope you all are doing well and that you are having as much fun getting ready as I am!

PS
Should have mentioned it earlier but I hung the stand about 75 yards off of a field that the deer feed in. The area is a flat spot on a slight slope leading down to the field and there are 3 or 4 trails leading in and out of it. There is decent sign in there and I really feel like I have a good shot of seeing something there in a couple of weeks!

PPS
I hope this post makes sense as I can not get my brain going this morning… well my brain isn’t 100% ever so it’s probably not a big deal lol! Anyway don’t forget about the Hunting and Fishing Expo coming up in Abingdon VA, on the 20th and 21st of this month!

Turkey, Deer, and a Turtle

Scouting report 8-10-08
I finally had a couple of hours today to put shoe leather and my binoculars to good use! I took a couple of hours to scout some of the public land I’ll be hunting yesterday and it went pretty well! I checked on about 4 of my spots and found really positive sign in two of them, and I ruled out a spot or two as well. I verified some stand spots for different wind directions and I’m really excited for the season to kick in! I still have to talk to some landowners about some private property but I’m feeling good about my National Forest spots. Before I could even get in to the first area I was going to check on I was nearly busted by a flock of Turkeys. I managed to get hid before they took off though and I got to observe them for a while. The neatest thing was the little bitty dudes that were in the flock, so cool to see! Later in the day I was standing by the road and glassing a couple of fields when something told me to look over and to my surprise there was a doe standing right in the middle of the road looking right at me. I smiled at her and we checked each other out for a minute and then she cruised on up the hill. Still later in the day I was checking out another area when I looked down and saw a really neat looking yellow headed turtle that I could kick myself for not taking pictures of. All in all it was a very fun and productive day! There’s nothing like being out in nature and there’s certainly nothing like the excitement of getting ready for this upcoming season!

Another great weekend!

What a cool day yesterday was. First of all we had Harry baptized yesterday and he behaved so well through the whole thing! He was so cute dressed up in his white satin suit that our friend Adam bought for him (pics to follow soon) and he was just an amazing little boy through the whole thing! Afterwards the church was having a homecoming and we all stuffed ourselves on some great home cooking! We then came home and washed our cars a little bit, hung out for a while, and then watched the big WEC event last night! If you don’t have VS channel you really need to get it as they have great hunting shows and the http://www.wec.tv/. The UFC owns the WEC and is the bigger promotion but somehow the WEC has the best fights of all. Almost every single fight is exciting!

Before I forget, on a hunting related note Harry and I cruised some new hunting areas Saturday night and I found what looked to be whitetail heaven! The only thing is I have to obtain some hunting permissions and I’m going to be working on that tonight! I hope you all had a great weekend!

Bicycles, Deer Scouting, and Adventure Riding

Yesterday I finally had a little time to go scouting one of the areas that I thought my bicycle would come in handy, and boy was I right! I didn’t have much time but I threw the bike, a field pack, and a couple of bottles of water in to the back of my truck and got to my spot as quickly as possible. I quickly got my gear together and started down the trail. I was still easing the bike in when I spotted a doe in the first open spot you come to. I watched her for a second or two but she had been spooked by the noise and got out of there. I cruised on, trying to get through the road as quickly as I could just to see how far it went. I didn’t have much time to do any in-depth scouting I just wanted to get a lay of the land. I can’t find this road on any maps so physically getting out there was the only way I could get my goal accomplished. I traveled as far as I could until the time came to turn back and I was already several miles back. I still don’t know how far it goes but I’ll give it another try soon.

Going in was a big time workout and I found out I’m still not in nearly good enough shape. The more I do the better I’ll be though and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon! I wanted to take some pictures but there really weren’t any good views other than a little random deer sign. Coming out was a real blast though as it was mostly down hill and I really got to put my mountain bike to the test! I felt like a true adventure bicyclist, I was jumping logs, flying down hill and really enjoying the moment!

The area certainly looked like it held some deer and that’s always important. More than anything I learned that I definitely enjoyed using the bicycle as a scouting tool, and I will be doing more off-road biking for the pure fun of it as well!

Hunting, Bicycles, Commuting, Money, the Environment, Fitness, and Oil

Wow, what a title! Ok, so maybe it’s a little too ambitious! This is really just going to be a post on my first few weeks of bicycle commuting. The first weeks have went extremely well and I do believe it’s going to become a full time activity. I’ve worked out a way to pack my work clothes in my backpack, as well as my lunch, and wear more suitable clothes to bike in and then change at work. So far everything has worked out well and the air moves fast enough to keep me from being too sweaty when I get to work. The only issue I’ve had so far is that one day last week it was pouring rain when I left work and I hadn’t packed any kind of a jacket. Having no fenders on my bike also provided me with a wet butt before I had even gotten out of the parking lot. I feel like it is going to really improve my fitness level though, and despite the fact that it’s not an extremely long ride or anything, I’ve already came up with ways to make it more challenging when I get to that point.

I’ve also identified several hunting areas where the bike will be very useful as well. There is no way I could make it in to one of the areas without being too sweaty when I got there or having to start walking in at way too early in the morning. I hope to take it on a scouting trip or two very soon, as well, to really get a feel for how it is going to work for hunting, but I feel it will have some real advantages in a few areas I plan on checking out.

Another great thing to come from bike commuting is that I’m being easier on the environment, and even better, I’m saving myself a lot of money! I will soon be biking to work five days a week and that equals a lot of gas savings! Finding a good place to put some of that money was easy too. I’ve already decided on a new muzzleloader! At the end of each trip I have a large hill to climb, and every time it gets tough I think about using that new muzzleloader, way back in the woods, on a beautiful mature whitetail, and somehow I make it up those hills time after time!

Deer Scouting, Old Friends, and the Blessings of Family

Today was a good day! Sorry that was a little salute to Ice Cube there! Anyway, it really was a good day! I got up early with little Harry and he and I hung out for a little while and then Jessica got up and cooked us breakfast! She soon headed off to work and Harry and I watched some hunting shows until he took a nap and I got up and began getting ready to head out for the day. We soon headed out and ate lunch with Jessica before driving over to visit my parents. We hung out with my Mom and Dad for a little while and then Dad and I went out on a little mission to find some new hunting areas, and to scout for deer sign on some public ground we are thinking about hunting. We rode around for a couple of hours and came up blank on permissions to hunt, but we did find a few areas that we will be scouting further. It seemed we rode from one side of the county to the other scouting, and we actually saw several deer including a tiny spotted fawn! However, one of the best things of the day was running in to an old friend of mine who was out riding horses (his wife actually helped deliver Harry III but I rarely get to see him)! I got to talk to him, and one of his buddies, for a while and it was an pleasent surprise to see him! After the scouting trip Dad and I headed back to the house, and then Harry and I headed back to Wytheville. We took my truck to the car wash and got it looking nice again and then we came home, ate, and I then tucked him in to bed. He is such a blessing in my life, every time I take things to seriously or get to worked up about anything I can just look at him and it puts everything in to perspective. One of my favorite things in the world is carrying him up to bed each night and he puts his little head between my neck and shoulder and it just warms my heart more than anything ever! It was great to find some new areas that I may be hunting this fall but the best thing in my life is my time spent with my son! Anyway that was my really good day, I hope yours was as good or better!

Deer Scouting Wytheville VA 3-16-08

Yesterday I did a little roadside scouting, just seeing if the deer are still nocturnal or if they’re coming back out in to the fields in the daytime. I didn’t get to travel at the time I wanted to but I did see some turkey but no deer. I’ve been reading “Bowhunting Pressured Whitetails” by John and Chris Eberhart, I’m not very far in to the book and it’s already motivating me to do all that I can to make more time for scouting right now because this is the best time of the year. I already knew that but due to the fact that Harry needs so much attention I haven’t been doing all I can do. I also recently bought a hang-on stand from K-Mart that was on sale! I’m going to set it up on the one small piece of private property that I hunt on. I’ve been shooting my bow more now that I have it fixed and I’m starting to get more consistent from different angles and ranges! I’ve been doing fair on my fitness, it’s getting tougher due to Harry again but I’ve also been lazy about things, I have been working out etc just not as hard as I should be, however today I’m getting back on track!
Everything else is going well, I’ve been having a blast hanging with Harry and Jessica, work has been great, and the rest of the family is great as well! My life is so blessed right now and I thank God for that! Best wishes and happy St. Patrick’s Day to you all!

Deer Scouting Wytheville VA March 1, 2008

Today has been a great day so far! I’ve gotten several things done and had a lot of fun doing it!

I spent about 4 hours getting in some pre or post season scouting, depending on the species you’re talking, about this morning. I found a new place to hunt and some positive sign in a place I’ve been watching, and I even got to watch a small doe for about 10 minutes as well. I also took the time and scouted several other places I hadn’t had a chance to. Several of the new places were unproductive but at least I can now cross them off of the list. One thing I have to mention though, my camo has really done its job on several occasions for me! I wear Mossy Oak and I’ve had deer hear and smell me on different occasions but even at extremely close distances and knowing that I was there they have never spotted me. Case in point the doe today heard me move at one point and looked directly at me, I was standing with only my left side behind cover and the deer was still not able to pick me out. I held still for a while and she went back to feeding shortly after that.


After my scouting trip I then went to Kmart and bought a new fleece Mossy Oak jacket and another waterproof Mossy Oak top with ScentBlock. They both were on sale so I didn’t even spend much money! Oh, and I also bought a binocular harness strap to make my scouting trips easier.

Deer Scouting Wytheville VA 1/12/08

I went on a scouting trip today, I got started late so I didn’t get done all that I wanted to but I still managed to cover quite a few miles today. The following are the voice records that I recorded.

• Down here in the first valley you come to if you stay in the flats until you come in I’ve found a stream in the bottom between two ridges.
• I’ve seen no definitive deer sign by this creek, I’ve seen plenty of turkey sign though. It makes sense that deer would be in this area though so I need to keep an eye on this area. It has just rained so it there may not be enough water here during dryer times.
• To think I couldn’t find turkey back when season was in, this place is ate up with turkey sign.
• Just found deer scat and some kind of other unidentified scat as well.
• On top of the first really steep ridge I’ve had to climb I’ve found a ton of deer paths.
• Looking across the road here I see a large open public land plot that I’ve somehow missed before, make sure to investigate when at home.
• The wind has been blowing in a north-eastern direction all day, it has been perfect as it is a crosswind heading to the road away from either direction I would want to go in.
• I’ve been heading in a south-eastern direction most of the day.
• Idea for the future, the land deep into Big Bend is not privately owned on one side, hiking in and hunting for a day or two may be a good idea sometime. (random thought I had while walking)
• I could be on to something, the second or third ridge here across from the green field on the other side of the road seems to be ate up with trails.
• I’m following this path up this ridge and haven’t seen anything good for bowhunting but this ridge could make for a could late season rifle/muzzleloader site.
• It’s funny how adventure and excitement always seem to be over the next ridge. Sometimes it’s not there but when I look up ahead up a hill I always get excited. Every time I think I’m too tired or I don’t feel like continuing on I see that next ridgeline and my curiosity and wonderment keep me moving on!
• I’m getting to the top of the mountain and I’m seeing plenty of deer tracks.
• Every time I venture up a path to the top of a mountain or deep in some woods and I think I’m somewhere that few people have traveled there is always some litter to remind me that I’m not.
• Looking down to where I came in I appear to be on the highest ridge in the area.
• Turkeys seem to love the top of these ridges
• I’m realizing that the deeper I walk into the woods here that I’m seeing less and less deer sign and more and more turkey sign. The field I was looking for (seen on aerial maps) seems to be way further through here than what I initially thought. I’ve already walked a long way and that field is not even seeable from here.
• I just saw and spotted several turkeys before they spotted me. The season is over but for fun I decided to put a stalk on them. I rushed things as it wasn’t a live situation and they flew off but it was fun to try!
• From a high vantage point here I’ve stopped to have a cup of coffee and watch the cars go by over on the interstate. The cars can’t see me but I can see them and it’s kind of nice being invisible to the world and watch everyone go by as I just sit here in the mountains and enjoy the moment.
• The most deer scat I’ve seen is on a trail right below the interstate across from the third clearing I would come to when I would come in.

I’m sure that it all sounds like a bunch of random thoughts to you readers, and some of it is, but to me it helps me keep in mind where I went and what I saw. As you can tell I learned some about the resident turkey population but the deer sign was scarce. I will check back on this area but it didn’t seem promising enough to warrant a lot of further time.